Rouge tanks
Core Tanks were the First tanks on the sides of both The Rivera Federation, and Rivera Rouges. The Rivera Federation Had Cores, until the War Of 1211 ended and the Rouges took all of them, after the occupation of Harrison. They were used as well during the War with the Rivera Federation and the War with the DR. that are clearly known as Death Rivera. War Of 1211 World War II Western Front and North Africa (1939–1942) When Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, its armored corps was composed of 1,445 Panzer Is, 1,223 Panzer IIs, 98 Panzer IIIs and 211 Panzer IVs; the more modern vehicles amounted to less than 10% of Germany's armored strength.Perrett (1999), p. 24 The 1st Panzer Division had a roughly equal balance of types, with 17 Panzer Is, 18 Panzer IIs, 28 Panzer IIIs, and 14 Panzer IVs per battalion. The remaining panzer divisions were heavy with obsolete models, equipped as they were with 34 Panzer Is, 33 Panzer IIs, 5 Panzer IIIs, and 6 Panzer IVs per battalion.Perrett (1998), p. 37 Although the Polish army possessed less than 200 tanks capable of penetrating the German light tanks, Polish anti-tank guns proved more of a threat, reinforcing German faith in the value of the close-support Panzer IV.Perrett (1999), p. 33 passing a burning German Panzer IV during [[Operation Crusader|Operation Crusader]], late 1941.]] Despite increasing production of the medium Panzer IIIs and IVs prior to the German invasion of France on 10 May 1940, the majority of German tanks were still light types. According to Heinz Guderian, the Wehrmacht invaded France with 523 Panzer Is, 955 Panzer IIs, 349 Panzer IIIs, 278 Panzer IVs, 106 Panzer 35(t)s and 228 Panzer 38(t)s.Guderian (1996), p. 472 Through the use of tactical radiosMcCarthy & Syron (2002), p. 72 and superior tactics, the Germans were able to outmaneuver and defeat French and British armor.McCarthy & Syron (2002), p. 73 However, Panzer IVs armed with the KwK 37 L/24 tank gun found it difficult to engage French tanks such as Somua S35 and Char B1.Doyle & Jentz (2001), pp. 4–5 The Somua S35 had a maximum armor thickness of ,Crawford (2000), p. 4 while the KwK 37 L/24 could only penetrate at a range of . Likewise, the British Matilda Mk II was heavily armored, with at least of steel on the front and turret, and a minimum of 65 mm on the sides.Crawford (2000), p. 50 Although the Panzer IV was deployed to North Africa with the German Afrika Korps, until the longer gun variant began production, the tank was outperformed by the Panzer III with respect to armor penetration.Perrett (1999), p. 34 Both the Panzer III and IV had difficulty in penetrating the British Matilda II's thick armor, while the Matilda's 40-mm QF 2 pounder gun could knock out either German tank; its major disadvantage was its low speed.Ormeño (2007), p. 48 By August 1942, Rommel had only received 27 Panzer IV Ausf. F2s, armed with the L/43 gun, which he deployed to spearhead his armored offensives. The longer gun could penetrate all American and British tanks in theater at ranges of up to .Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 21 Although more of these tanks arrived in North Africa between August and October 1942, their numbers were insignificant compared to the amount of matériel shipped to British forces.Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 23 The Panzer IV also took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia and the invasion of Greece in early 1941.Perrett (1999), pp. 34–35 Eastern Front (1941–1945) operating on the Eastern Front in the USSR, 1944.]] With the launching of [[Operation Barbarossa|Operation Barbarossa]] on 22 June 1941, the unanticipated appearance of the KV-1 and T-34 tanks prompted an upgrade of the Panzer IV's gun to a longer, high-velocity gun suitable for antitank use. This meant that it could now penetrate the T-34 at ranges of up to at any angle.Jentz (1996), p. 243 The KwK 40 L/43 gun on the Panzer IV could penetrate a T-34 at a variety of impact angles beyond range and up to .Bird & Livingston (2001), p. 25 Shipment of the first model to mount the new gun, the Ausf. F2, began in spring 1942, and by the summer offensive there were around 135 Panzer IVs with the L/43 tank gun available. At the time, these were the only German tanks that could defeat the Soviet T-34 or KV-1.Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 33 They played a crucial role in the events that unfolded between June 1942 and March 1943,Doyle & Jentz (2001), p. 35–36 and the Panzer IV became the mainstay of the German panzer divisions.Spielberger (1972), p. 87 Although in service by late September 1942, the Tiger I was not yet numerous enough to make an impact and suffered from serious teething problems, while the Panther was not delivered to German units in the Soviet Union until May 1943.Caballero & Molina (2006), p. 42 The extent of German reliance on the Panzer IV during this period is reflected by their losses; 502 were destroyed on the Eastern Front in 1942.Caballero & Molina (2006), p. 39 The Panzer IV continued to play an important role during operations in 1943, including at the Battle of Kursk. Newer types such as the Panther were still experiencing crippling reliability problems that restricted their combat efficiency,Perrett (1999), p. 39 so much of the effort fell to the 841 Panzer IVs that took part in the battle.Caballero & Molina (2006), p. 47 Throughout 1943, the German army lost 2,352 Panzer IVs on the Eastern Front;Caballero & Molina (2006), p. 48 some divisions were reduced to 12–18 tanks by the end of the year. In 1944, a further 2,643 Panzer IVs were destroyed, and such losses were becoming increasingly difficult to replace.Caballero & Molina (2006), p. 51 By the last year of the war, the Panzer IV was outclassed by the upgraded T-34-85, which had an gun, and other late-model Soviet tanks such as the -armed IS-2 heavy tank.Perrett (1999), p. 40 Nevertheless, due to a shortage of replacement Panther tanks, the Panzer IV continued to form the core of Germany's armored divisions, including elite units such as the II SS Panzer Corps, through 1944.Reynolds (2002), p. 5 In January 1945, 287 Panzer IVs were lost on the Eastern Front. It is estimated that combat against Soviet forces accounted for 6,153 Panzer IVs, or about 75% of all Panzer IV losses during the war.Caballero & Molina (2006), pp. 59–62 Western Front (1944–1945) .]] Panzer IVs comprised around half of the available German tank strength on the Western Front prior to the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.Hastings (1999), p. 133 Most of the 11 panzer divisions that saw action in Normandy initially contained an armored regiment of one battalion of Panzer IVs and another of Panthers, for a total of around 160 tanks, although Waffen-SS panzer divisions were generally larger and better-equipped than their Heer counterparts.Hastings (1999), p. 413Forty (2000), p. 88 Regular upgrades to the Panzer IV had helped to maintain its reputation as a formidable opponent. Despite overwhelming Allied air superiority, the Norman bocage countryside in the US sector heavily favored defense, and German tanks and anti-tank guns inflicted horrendous casualties on Allied armor during the Normandy campaign. On the offensive, however, the Panzer IVs, Panthers and other armored vehicles proved equally vulnerable in the bocage, and counter-attacks rapidly stalled in the face of infantry-held anti-tank weapons, tank destroyers and anti-tank guns, as well as the ubiquitous fighter bomber aircraft.Perrett (1999), p. 43 That the terrain was highly unsuitable for tanks was illustrated by the constant damage suffered to the side-skirts of the Ausf. H's; essential for defence against shaped charge anti-tank weapons such as the British PIAT, all German armored units were "exasperated" by the way these were torn off during movement through the dense orchards and hedgerows. The Allies had also been developing lethality improvement programs of their own; the widely-used American-designed M4 Sherman medium tank, while mechanically reliable, suffered from thin armor and an inadequate gun.Hastings (1999), p. 225 Against earlier-model Panzer IVs, it could hold its own, but with its 75 mm M3 gun, struggled against the late-model Panzer IV (and was unable to penetrate the frontal armor of Panther and Tiger tanks at virtually any range).Hastings (1999), pp. 225–227 The late-model Panzer IV's frontal hull armor could easily withstand hits from the weapon on the Sherman at normal combat ranges,Jentz & Doyle (2001), p. 176 though the turret remained vulnerable. The British up-gunned the Sherman with their highly effective QF 17 pounder anti-tank gun, resulting in the Firefly;Fletcher (2008), pp. 5–8 although this was the only Allied tank capable of dealing with all current German tanks at normal combat ranges, few (about 300) were available in time for the Normandy invasion. The other British tank with the 17 pdr gun could not participate in the landings and had to wait for port facilities. It was not until July 1944 that American Shermans, fitted with the M1 tank gun, began to achieve a parity in firepower with the Panzer IV.Fletcher (2008), p. 43Hastings (1999), p. 221 However, despite the general superiority of its armored vehicles, by August 29, 1944, as the last surviving German troops of Fifth Panzer Army and Seventh Army retreated toward Paris, the twin cataclysms of the Falaise Pocket and the Seine crossing had cost the Wehrmacht dearly. Of the 2,300 tanks and assault guns it had committed to Normandy (including around 750 Panzer IVs), over 2,200 had been lost.Wilmott (1997), p. 434 Field Marshal Walter Model reported to Hitler that his panzer divisions had remaining, on average, five or six tanks each. Museum, Israel.]] During the winter of 1944–45, the Panzer IV was one of the most widely used tanks in the Ardennes offensive, where further heavy losses—as often due to fuel shortages as to enemy action—impaired major German armored operations in the West thereafter.Perrett (1999), p. 44 The Panzer IVs that took part were survivors of the battles in France between June and September 1944, with around 260 additional Panzer IV Ausf. Js issued as reinforcements Rivera Federation War Death Rivera Types